Device for regulating the temperature in rooms



May 13, 1924.

G. CRIDA "DEVICE FOR REGULATING THE TEMPERATURE IN ROOMS Filed Feb. 25 1920- Patented May 13, L914 is,

GIUSEPPE CRIDA,

F TURIN, ITALY.

DEVICE FOR REGULATING THE TEJQIPERATURE IN ROOMS.

Application filed February 25, 1920. Serial No. 361,321.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GIUSEPPE CRIDA, a subject of the King of Italy, and resident of Turin, Italy, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices for Regulating the Temperature in Rooms, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a device for maintainingwithin the desired ranges the temperature in rooms of any kind.

The invention has for its object a device comprising a reversible electromotor which drives the means for controlling the heating medium to open or close the same, and a thermometer located in the room, said thermometer being provided with adjustable contacts adapted to contact with the mercury column and to insert said electromotor in the circuit of an electric source for driving said controlling means in either direction.

The figure of the annexed drawing shows by way of example an embodiment of this invention. 1

In said embodiment 1 is a mercury therinometer into which projects a wire 2 connected with one terminal of a source 4 of electric current; other wires 3'3 project into the thermometer tube and each of them is adapted to be connected -.with the otherterminal of said source by means of a wire 3 and of plug switches as shown diagrammatically on the drawing.

The source of-electric energy may be of any proper kind and in the case the electric current at disposal has a tension capable of producing sparks in the thermometer tube when the circuit is cut out, said source may be conveniently provided by a transformer 4 adapted to reduce to a proper value the tension of the line current.

In the wire 3 is inserted the coil 5 of an clectromagnet whose armature 6 controls the circuit of a wire 22 connected with one terminal of the feeding circuit.

A reversible electromotor 7 driving the device which controls the supply of heating medium which may be a valve controlling a steam supply pipe has its intermediate terminal'20 connected by wire 21 with one terminal of the feeding circuit whilst its other terminals 20 and 2 are connected with the other terminal of said feeding circuit by conductors 22 and 23 by the intermediate of the device hereinafter described.

With shaft of electromotor 7 aresolid two discs 8 and 13 each provided with insulating parts and with a conducting ring or rim and a spiral conductor, as 9 and 14.

As shown on the drawing the wire 22 leads to a swinging contact member 10 engaging the spiral conducting part 9 located on disk Sand on the outer ring 11 of said disk. which is connected with the outer end of said spiral part 9, bears a brush 11 leading by wire 22 to terminal 20 of electromotor 7.

To the terminal of source 4 opposite to that connected with wire 2 is connected a wire 24 leading to a swinging contact member engaging a spiral conducting member 14 located on disk 13 solid with the shaft of electromotor 7 and having a conducting rim 16 connected with the outer end of said spiral member 14; on said rim 16 bears a brush l6 and a wire 12 leads from said brush to a number of contacts 1212 projecting into thev thermometer tubef. as shown on the drawing said contacts 12, 12" are provided with plug switches enabling either of them to be connected with wire 12*.

The wire 23 is connected with the same terminal of supply circuit as wire 22 and in 1 said wire 23 is inserted a rocking switch 19 pivoted at 19 and controlled by the armature 18 of electromagnet 17; said wire 23 leads to terminal of'electromotor 7.

As shown in the drawing the spiral parts 9 and 14 of disks 8 and 13 are wound in opposite directions and the outer end of said spiral parts are connected with the respective rims l1 and 16 of said disks. Preferably said disks are made of insulating material and are each provided with a conducting rim 11 and 16, connected with the conducting spiral parts 9 and 14, of the same disk but any preferred construction may be used and instead of said disks may be used drums or similar members having helicoidal contacting parts arranged on their surface.

As above described said disks are both solid with the electromotor shaft and as their spiral parts are arranged in opposite directions, when said shaft is rotated the rocking contacting part engaged with one of said spiral parts moves from the lnner end towards the outer end of the associate spiral part whilst the other rocking contacting part moves from outer end towards the inner one of the associate spiral part. In any case when one of the rocking parts has reached the outer end of its associate spiral part the same contacts with the insulating portion of the disk and therefore the circuit leading to it is cut off.

The plugs of contacts 3' and 12' are properly set to insert the contact corresponding with the mlnimum and max 1- mum temperatures which are permissible 1n the room, said contacts being spaced apart along the thermometer column.

The operation is as follows: At the beginning that is when the temperature in the room is under the minimum permissible, the parts of the device are in the position illustrated on the drawing, that is both circuits leading to contacts 3 and 12 respectively are cut off.

Therefore the armature 6 is removed from the core of coil 5 and the same closes the circuit of wires 21 and 22; the electromotor 7 is operated in the proper direction to open the supply of heating medium and to carry the outer end of spiral 9 to contact with the rocking part 10.

Thus, owing to the supply of heating medium, the temperature rises in the room and the mercury column-rises in thermometer 1. Then assuming the plug inserted in contact 3', when the mercury reaches this contact the circuit 2-3 is closed through the mercury column and contact 3 so that the armature 6 is attracted and the circuit of wires 2122 is cut off. The feeding of the electromotor is thus cut off also in the case the disk 8 has not made the required number of revolutions for carrying the rocking contact 10 on the insulating portion of disk 8.

Thus the electromotor is stopped and the device controlling the heating fluid supply is left stationary in its open position in which it has been carried by operation of the electromotor.

Should the temperature fall down again in the room, the circuit 2-3 is again open and the armature 6 is released so that the circuit of wires 21-22 is again closed to start the electromotor for the purpose of opening to a larger extent the supply of heating medium.

Should the temperature rise to reach the maximum permissible value, the mercury column rises and when it reaches the contact 12 which has been inserted by means of its plug, the circuit is closed through source 4, wire 2, thermometer mercury column, contact 12', wire 12, coil 17, wire 12*, brush 16', rim 16, spiral 14, rocking contact 15 and wire 24, so that armature 18 is lifted and swinging-arm 19 is allowed to fall so as to close the circuit of wire 23 the electromotor 7 being thus started to shut the device controlling the "fluid supply. At the same time the circuit of Wire 22 is held open the armature 6 being held attracted by the coil 5 inserted in the circuit 335 21. Whenever the described operation may occur the rocking contact 15 is always in contact with its associate spiral 14 because the previous rotation of the electromotor has moved the disk 8 to carry the outer end of its spiral conducting part 9 under rocking member 10 and therefore the inner end of the spiral conducting part 14 has been carried under contact 15, the spiral 14 having the opposite direction with regard to spiral 9 and said disks 8 and 13 being rotated in the same direction. g

The above described operation of the electromotor rotates disks 8 and 13 until the end of rocking contact 15 comes on the insulating part of disk 13 so as to cut out the circuit feeding the electromotor; the device driven by said. electromotor which controls the supply of heating fluid must be suitably adjusted so as to fully shut said supply when disk 13 has reached the above described position.

At the same time the disk 8 has carried its spiral conducting part 9 with its inner end in register with the end of rocking con.

tact 10.

Obviously in the case the temperature falls in the room during the described operation to such an extent as the thermometer column falls down under contact 12 before said controlling device has reached its fully closed position .the coil 17 is de-energized and switch 19 is opened to cut off the circuit of wires 23 and to stop the electromotor. i

In any case after-the controlling device has been fully closed andiwhen the temperature decreases in the room, the mercury column falls under contact 12' and the coil 17 is de-energized; thus the armature 18 falls down to open the switch 19. Finally should the temperature fall down further under the minimum permissible value the circuit 23 is cut off so as to close the circuit of wire 22; thereafter the operation is repeated.

The device operated by electromotor 7 and controlling the supply of heating medium must be connected with said electromotor 7 and disks 8 and 13 in a proper manner to reach its extreme open and closed positions when the rocking contacts 10 and 15 have left their respective spirals 9 and let and bearon the insulating portion of the disks;

further said device is conveniently provided with means for uncoupling it from the electromotor when said device has reached its described I extreme position. Said supply controlling device must also be adjusted in such a manner as when it is fully open the supply of heating medium is sufficient to raise the temperature in the room above the maximum required.

It is to be understood that a number ofchanges may be made in the described apparatus and that the number of contacts as 3' and 12 may be any required one, said contacts being arranged along the thermometer tube in register with the position taken up by the upper end of the thermometer column when the temperature has proper values.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent 1s 1. A device for regulating the temperature in rooms, comprising a reversible electromotor, a member controlling a supply of heating medium and actuated by said electromotor, a thermometer with a mercury column located in said room, a number of contacts contacting with the mercury column of the thermometer, a source of electric current, a first feeding circuit connecting the terminals of said source with the terminals of said reversible electromotor for its rotation in one direction, a switch in said feeding circuit, a controlling circuit comprising a source of current and leading to the mercury column of the thermometer and to one of said contacts, means in said controlling circuit for closing said feeding circuit when the thermometer column contacts with the above named contact, a second switch in said controlling circuit, this switch being actuated by said electromotor to open said controlling circuit on said member reaching a given position, a second feeding circuit connecting the terminals of said source with the terminals of said electromotor for its rotation in a direction opposite to the above named one, a switch in this second feeding circuit, this switch being actuated by said electromotor to open the said feeding circuit on said member reaching another given position, a second switch in. said second feeding circuit, a second controlling circuit including a source of current and leading to said mercury column of the thermometer and to one of said contacts and means in this circuit to operate said last named switch when the mercury column reaches the last named contact.

2. A device for regulating the temperature'in rooms, comprising a reversible electromotor, a member controlling a supply of heating medium and actuated by said electromotor, a thermometer with a mercury column located in said room, a number of contacts contacting with the mercury column of the thermometer, a source of electric current, a first feeding circuit connecting the tromotor to open said controlling circuit on.

said member reaching a given position, a

- second feeding circuit connecting to the terminals of said source with the terminals of said electromotor for its rotation in a direction opposite to the above named one, a

switch in this second feeding circuit, this switch being actuated by said electromotor to open the said feeding circuit on said member reaching another given position, a second switch in said second feeding circuit, a second controlling circuit including a source of current and leading to said mercury column of the thermometer and to one of said contacts and an electromagnet in this circuit to operate said last named switch when the mercury column of the thermometer reaches the last named contact.

3. A device for regulating the temperature in rooms, comprising a reversibleelectromotor, a member controlling a supply of heating medium and actuated by said electromotor, a thermometer with a mercury column located in said room, a number of contacts contacting with the mercury column of the thermometer, a source of electric cur-- rent, a first feeding circuit connecting the terminals of said source with the terminals of said reversible electromotor for its rotation 1n one direction, a switch in said feeding circuit, a controlling circuit comprising a source of current and leading to the mercury column of the thermometer and to one of said contacts, means in said controlling circuit for closing said feeding circuit when the thermometer column contacts with the above named contact, a member solid with the electromotor shaft, a spiral conducting part in this member and a contacting part engaged with said spiral part, the spiral and contacting parts being inserted by one end in said controlling circuit and 'said spiral part ending in an insulating part, a second feeding circuit connecting the terminals of said source with the terminals of said electromotor for its rotation in a direction opposite to the above named one, a member solid with the electromotor shaft, a spiral conducting part in this member, this spiral part bein wound in opposite direction with regar to the first named one, a contacting part engaging this spiral part, these spiral and contacting parts being inserted by one end in the said second named tacts and means in this circuit to operate the feeding circuit and said spiral part ending said last named switch when the mercury said second feeding circuit, a second con Signed at Turin, Italy, this 5 day of Feb. 5 trolling circuit including a source of cur- 1920.

rent and leading to said mercury column of the thermometer and to one of said con- I GIUSEPPE CRIDA.

in an insulating part, a second switch in column reaches the last named contact. 10 

